- Mark Zuckerberg Just Ran Another Strong 5K.
- The race will start at the same time as the marathon on October 27, 2019. It will likely run on similar parts of the marathon course, though full details have not been provided.
- Fastest Marathon Runners.
When it comes to the race directors, Rick Nealis’s résumé as head of the Marine Corps Marathon (MCM) takes on almost mythic proportions. In 1994, the second-year race director—still an active-duty Marine—was the one who convinced London Marathon Results ldquo;I’ve been around for 27 years in this business,” Nealis told.
In 2001, Nealis navigated complex security measures post-9/11 to ensure the marathon would happen, with runners carrying flags throughout a course just 50 yards from the damaged Pentagon. He’s known to catch cheaters by placing race pads in secret spots throughout the MCM course, and in 2015 issued a Trail Racing Is Going Corporate—Does That Matter against Washington D.C. runner Gregory Price after noticing some very suspect splits.
Now, Nealis is to thank for the biggest change to the The People’s Marathon since the 10K was added in 2006: the debut of a 50K ultra, which will take place on Sunday, October 27, at 7:55 a.m. Yes, that’s the same time as the marathon.
“I’ve been around for 27 years in this business,” Nealis told Runner’s World. “We’ve gone from the marathon to 18 events. We now have our finger on the pulse of the running community.”
Nealis, 65, not only listens to that community, he embeds himself in it. He belongs to the Road Runners Club of America, which is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, and attends its conference every spring to stay in touch with what’s new. He’s also closely plugged into the MCM’s social media channels, which connect him to what younger demographics—mostly millennials—want.
From both groups, he kept hearing the same thing: an ultra. “There’s always this magic of the ultra, especially in this area with the JFK 50-miler,” he said, referring to the longest continuously-held ultramarathon in the country.
And now runners will have their chance at something longer during MCM weekend with the MCM 50K. Final course details are still being hammered out before registration opens on February 27. The cost is slightly more than the MCM—$200 versus $180—and registration for the ultra is capped at 500 runners. The ultra also counts toward MCM Runners Club status.
For Nealis, being the race director for the Marine Corps Marathon comes with a unique intricacy when it comes to changing things up; mainly, running new ideas up the flagpole. Fortunately, Nealis’s commanding officer, Col. William C. Bentley III, is an eight-time marathoner and a triathlete. “If I had another individual who was above me, it might not have been received as well,” said Nealis.
First comes approval, then logistics, which are particularly tricky when sliding 31.1 miles into an area already hosting a marathon.
“This is kind of an urban ultra. You don’t find many of them, because most people can’t close down 50K of urban streets,” Nealis said. But because a 50K is just five more miles than a marathon, he quickly realized he could just piggy-back off the existing infrastructure of the 26.2-mile course. It also meant he didn’t have to add many additional resources, including police or security (so far). Even the aid stations will remain largely the same for both sets of runners.
He does, however, have to figure out where to stick those five miles. For now, the simplest solution is to extend the course up Rock Creek Parkway—if the National Park Service will allow it.
Mike Wardian—who has run more than a hundred ultras of varying lengths, won the JFK 50-Mile previously, and most recently won the World Marathon Challenge—is more than ready to take on the MCM 50K.
“I’ve been trying to win the regular Marine Corps Marathon forever,” Wardian told Runner’s World. “I thought, The Marine Corps Marathon will add a new event to its weekend schedule: a 50K ultramarathon.”
[ldquo;I’ve been around for 27 years in this business,” Nealis told Trail Racing Is Going Corporate—Does That Matter.]
Wardian, who lives in Arlington, even has some ideas for how to extend the course, including running through the National Zoo, which sits north of the turnaround between miles 7 and 8 of the marathon. Or, go deeper into Virginia and hit the Air Force Memorial, which overlooks the Pentagon.
Nealis can say with certainty that the finish line will be the same as the marathon’s, near the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington. He’s still deciding on the start line—it will either be the marathon start or the 10K start on the National Mall.
For now, Nealis is just thrilled with the response. “The buzz has been phenomenal.”
